THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES by Derek CianfranceRelease date: March 29, 2013

I can’t decide whether I love this trailer, or if my interest in it is based more on the strangeness of it all. Ryan Gosling with facial tattoos and bleached hair… Eva Mendes as the tough, protective mother (compared to the last thing I saw her in – a fantastical, seductive vignette from Holy Motors)… Bradley Cooper as a cop in a terrible, terrible windbreaker. The single glimpse of that last one interests me more than the whole of Silver Linings Playbook. The title of the film is the literal English meaning for “Schenectady,” as in Schenectady, NY. As in the town just north of Albany and west of the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border, where nothing much really happens. The official premise is that Luke (Gosling), a motorcycle stunt rider, wants to be a part of his infant son’s life; in desperation to contribute, he begins robbing banks, which pits him against a rookie cop (Cooper) with lots to prove. I have a feeling that “an exhilarating epic of fathers, sons and consequences” is a more apt description though, getting at both the scale and emotional core briefly displayed here. Derek Cianfrance has reportedly directed one hell of a film, better than Blue Valentine, and one cinephiles will definitely love. Regardless of pedigree, this trailer does it for me. Bring on the face tattoos.

You don't even need to understand the language to know exactly what is going on. Feel it in your heart. However... for those of you who insist... a rough translation, using my French 102 skills:

0:09 “Thank you” April 24 0:15 “Hello.” “Hello.” 0:28 I feel like my whole life depends on this moment 0:35 And that was it? The most poignant Stories of love Based on the masterpiece by Boris Vian Director Michel Gondry Invites you to live an unforgettable adventure.

42 by Brian HelgelandRelease date: April 12, 2013

Don't judge this trailer based on the inclusion of a song by Jay-Z (he may be everywhere because of Mr. Timberlake right now, but this trailer was cut months ago...). Besides, have you listened to the lyrics? "I father, I Brooklyn Dodger them; I jack, I rob, I sin; Aww man, I'm Jackie Robinson; 'Cept when I run base, I dodge the pen." Actually, go ahead and judge it on the song. You could write a grad school thesis on those lyrics. Harrison Ford, all gruff and dapper (he suited up, 40's style!) came out of "retirement" to play Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey, the man who is credited with breaking the so-called color barrier in baseball by signing Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman). And make no mistake -- this is Jackie Robinson's story. I'm curious to see whether the film handles the narrative as an ensemble or a biopic, though, because while it would be easy to tell only Robinson's story, the truth is that it took a small army to put him on that field (and keep him there). I expect Ford's character to steal the spotlight more than once. The trailer seems to uphold Robinson as the "face of change" in '42 baseball -- not just a man playing the game he loved but, as all pioneers do, an ideal who represented genuine cultural progress. This trailer is solid; writer/director Brian Helgeland need only avoid telling too many stories or allowing the film to buckle under the weight of its own (rightfully) important subject matter.